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Illinois lawmakers pass bill banning ICE immigration arrests near courthouses
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Illinois lawmakers passed a bill on Friday prohibiting federal agents from making immigration arrests near courthouses.
The measure also allows lawsuits when people believe their constitutional rights were violated during civil immigration arrests.
The legislation, approved largely along party lines, was sent to Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk. His office said he supports the idea and will review the proposal when it reaches his desk.
According to the bill, civil damages for false imprisonment could be imposed when a migrant attending a court hearing or appearing as a party or witness to a legal proceeding is arrested.
BLUE CITY JUDGE CITES ‘FEAR OR OBSTRUCTION’ IN BLOCKING ICE COURTHOUSE ARRESTS DURING COURT PROCEEDINGS
Illinois lawmakers passed a bill on Friday prohibiting federal agents from making immigration arrests near courthouses. (Christopher Dilts/Getty Images)
Supporters of the bill say courts must be accessible to everyone to seek resolutions to violations of their rights, but even one of the measure’s top sponsors acknowledges it will face an uphill battle in court.
«It’s not just about the constitutionality of the law, which I think is sound, but it’s the reality that the courts are stacked against us,» Democrat Senate President Don Harmon said. «The federal government can try to remove it from state courts to federal courts. They can try to substitute the government itself for the individual defendants, but that’s not a reason not to try.»
Earlier this month, a judge in Cook County, which includes Chicago, issued an order blocking immigration arrests at county courthouses, citing concerns about «fear or obstruction» while migrants attend court proceedings. The order prohibits immigration authorities from making civil arrests of any «party, witness, or potential witness» during court appearances.
The federal government, however, contended that «there are no legal sanctuaries where you can hide and avoid the consequences for breaking the law.»
The measure allows lawsuits when people believe their constitutional rights were violated during civil immigration arrests. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Trump administration’s immigration agenda aims to detain suspected illegal migrants as part of the president’s mass deportation policies. But witnesses have reported numerous incidents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detaining people regardless of citizenship or legal status.
«No one should have to choose between seeking justice and risking their freedom,» said Democrat state Sen. Celina Villanueva, who is co-sponsoring the bill. «Courthouses must be places where people can resolve disputes, testify and support loved ones, not sites of fear or intimidation.»
The measure also requires hospitals, day care centers and higher education institutions to create policies detailing how they would handle immigration agents inside their facilities.
Earlier this year, the federal government reversed a Biden administration policy prohibiting immigration arrests in sensitive locations such as hospitals, schools and churches.
Other states have made similar efforts to protect migrants against federal raids.
FEDERAL JUDGE LIMITS ICE ARRESTS WITHOUT WARRANT, PROBABLE CAUSE
The legislation, approved largely along party lines, was sent to Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
California has restricted immigration enforcement action in courthouses since 2017. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state cannot control federal immigration action, but «the state has a responsibility to provide safe and secure access to court facilities to all residents regardless of immigration status.»
In Connecticut, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Raheem Mullins issued a policy in September banning warrantless arrests inside state courts, and prohibited the use of face coverings, often worn by ICE officers to shield their identities, in judicial buildings.
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«Judges, staff, litigants, members of the public, they all must be able to conduct their business in our courthouses without fear of disruption,» Mullins said.
Other bills introduced by various local governments and Congress also seek to ban face coverings for immigration agents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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At least one House Democrat is praising President Donald Trump’s capture of Nicolás Maduro after the U.S. conducted surprise strikes in Venezuela overnight Saturday night.
«The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule. However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows,» Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., wrote on X.
«Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González.»
She criticized the GOP administration for apparently failing to notify Congress beforehand, however.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz speaks during a press conference on new legislation to support Holocaust education nationwide at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort. The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime. Congress must be properly informed and hold hearings on this invasion. As always, I will work to bring about the promise of a liberated Venezuela,» she wrote.
Wasserman Schultz’s home state of Florida is notably home to a significant number of Venezuelan refugees, as well as refugees from other communist Latin American dictatorships like Cuba.
Her response to the U.S. operation is far different from the majority of her colleagues on the left, however.
Congressional Democrats are largely accusing Trump of green-lighting illegal actions in Venezuela after the U.S. carried out multiple strikes and captured Maduro and his wife.
While some responses were more muted than others, the majority of Democratic lawmakers argued that the Trump administration undermined U.S. law with the operation.
«The Trump administration launched a large-scale military attack on a sovereign nation and kidnapped its sitting president, without congressional approval and without consideration of any of the consequences their illegal actions may bring,» Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., wrote on X. «This act of aggression is unconstitutional, un-American, and a direct threat to our democracy.»
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Iraq War, echoed a similar line.
LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CONFIRMS OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN VENEZUELA, SAYS US HAS ‘CAPTURED’ MADURO
Democrats, like Sen. Ruben Gallego and Rep. Eric Swalwell, are accusing President Donald Trump of waging an illegal war with Venezuela. (Andrew Harnik via Getty Images; Joe Raedle via Getty Images; John Lamparski via Getty Images)
«There is no justification for the United States to be at war with Venezuela. I lived through the consequences of an illegal war sold to the American people with lies. We swore we would never repeat those mistakes. Yet here we are again,» Gallego said in his own statement.
Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., another military veteran, accused Trump of running afoul of the Constitution.
«Let there be no mistake, President Trump has started a war in Venezuela, without any congressional approval, and in violation of the Constitution. Over the past 2 decades, we have learned the hard way that wars are easy to start and hard to finish,» Vindman wrote on X.
«A plan rarely survives first contact. Having served in Iraq, I’ve seen this firsthand. Trump is wrong to start a war in Venezuela. It is not what the American people want, it is not putting America first, and it is not worth American blood and treasure.»
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was more blunt in his assessment.
«When I talk to Californians, you know what ranks lowest on their priorities? Illegally going to war with Venezuela. Just lower the damn prices,» Swalwell wrote on X.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrote, «Trump’s illegal and unprovoked bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of its president are grave violations of international law and the U.S. Constitution. These are the actions of a rogue state.»
Other Democrats were more muted in their criticism, instead focusing on calling for more information from the White House.
VENEZUELA ARRESTS MORE AMERICANS AS TRUMP RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON MADURO: REPORT
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addresses supporters during a rally marking the anniversary of the 19th-century Battle of Santa Ines in Caracas, Dec. 10, 2025. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«While I strongly oppose the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro, President Trump’s military action was a serious constitutional violation,» said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y. «The Trump administration does not have sole authority to commit such acts, and I reaffirm my position that Congress must be fully informed before the U.S. engages in hostilities towards another nation. I urge for an immediate and full briefing for Members of Congress following ongoing developments in Venezuela and the subsequent long-term consequences in the region.»
The top two Democrats in Congress were similarly critical but cautious.
«Far too many questions remain unanswered, including with respect to whether further military actions are planned. First, how many American troops remain on the ground in Venezuela? Second, what does America is going to run Venezuela until a judicious transition takes place mean?» House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote in a statement.
«Third, were these military strikes about seizing foreign oil to benefit friends of the Trump administration? Fourth, why did Donald Trump pardon the former Honduran President, a narco-trafficker convicted in an American court of law, but is willing to take us to war in Venezuela in connection with similar allegations.»
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Maduro an «illegitimate leader» but added, «The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans. The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.»
«To distract from skyrocketing costs Americans face and the historic cover-up of the Epstein files, Donald Trump is attempting to throw Americans into more international chaos and uncertainty,» Schumer said.
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It comes after Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. had «successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela» and its leader.
He said Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country.
Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently said both were indicted in the Southern District of New York, one of the largest federal prosecutorial offices in the U.S.
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What is Delta Force and what does it do? Inside the elite US Army unit that captured Maduro
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President Donald Trump confirmed that Delta Force — the U.S. Army’s most elite counterterrorism and direct-action unit — carried out the daring overnight operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Delta Force, officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, specializes in high-risk missions involving the capture or killing of high-value targets, as well as other sensitive operations that require speed, secrecy and precision.
The unit operates under U.S. Special Operations Command and is typically deployed when missions carry significant political or strategic stakes.
According to Military.com, Delta Force is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the hub of U.S. Army special operations training. The unit has previously been involved in some of the most consequential U.S. military operations, including the 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein. The secretive unit also conducted numerous counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East, targeting senior al-Qaeda figures.
FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA
U.S. military personnel stand aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima while docked at Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 16, 2025. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images)
Delta Force is commanded by a senior Army officer, but the identity of the unit’s leader is also kept classified, as is the exact size of the unit.
It is unclear how many members took part in the Venezuela operation.
During the raid, U.S. Army helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the «Night Stalkers,» flew the special operations forces into Venezuela, officials said.
At least seven explosions were heard in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and low-flying aircraft were seen over the city at about 2 a.m. local time, according to reports.
The CIA provided intelligence to the Department of War that helped guide Delta Force to Maduro and his wife, whom President Donald Trump said were apprehended during the U.S. military operation.
Officials emphasized that while the CIA played a critical role in tracking and locating Maduro, U.S. military special operations forces carried out the physical capture.
MARIA CORINA MACHADO EMERGES AS TOP POTENTIAL SUCCESSOR AFTER MADURO’S FALL
Smoke rises from Fort Tiuna, the main military garrison in Caracas, Venezuela, after multiple explosions were heard and aircraft swept through the area, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Trump told «FOX & Friends Weekend» early Saturday that U.S. military personnel involved in the operation «did an incredible job.»
«They rehearsed and practiced like nobody’s ever seen,» Trump said. «And I was told by real military people that there’s no other country on earth that could do such a maneuver.»
Trump said he watched the operation unfold in real time.
«The whole maneuver of the landings, the number of aircraft — which were massive — the number of helicopters, different types of helicopters, different types of fighter jets,» Trump said. «We had a fighter jet for every possible situation.»
«They just broke in and they broke into places that were not really able to be broken into,» he added. «I’ve never seen anything like it.»
Trump said Maduro was inside a fortified residence but was captured before he could reach a secure area.
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Maduro and his wife were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are expected to be transported to the United States. (Getty Images)
Trump also said there were injuries during the operation but no U.S. fatalities and no aircraft losses.
Maduro and his wife were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are expected to be transported to the United States, where they could appear in federal court in New York City as soon as Monday, Fox News has learned.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, David Spunt, Jennifer Griffin and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
world,military,south america,donald trump,wars,politics,world politics
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🔴URGENTE – Trump aseguró que «Nicolás Maduro y su esposa han sido capturados y sacados de Venezuela»
